Russell Wilson addresses Broncos contract drama, getting benched

Denver Broncos (7-8) quarterback Russell Wilson revealed Friday that the team approached him days after the 24-9 Week 8 victory over the Kansas City Chiefs asking him to adjust a salary guarantee in his contract or he would be “benched for the rest of the year.”

“They definitely told me I was going to be benched and all that,” Wilson said, via ESPN. “That whole bye week I didn’t know what was going to be the case. I was going to be ready to play, I wanted to go to Buffalo and beat Buffalo [Nov. 13]. … Wasn’t going to remove the injury guarantee. This game is such a physical game, I’ve played 12 years and all that.

“I want to be able to play, I want to be able to help this team win. … Know every time I step on the field it’s a physical game. I never play timid; I never play scared.”

The win over the reigning Super Bowl champions was Denver’s first against them since 2015 and occurred in the midst of a five-game winning streak. Wilson said the NFL and its players’ association “got involved,” and he remained the starter as Denver pushed towards a potential playoff berth.

But after dropping three of their last four games and holding a slim chance at making the playoffs in the AFC, the Broncos announced Wednesday that Wilson will head to the bench for the final two games of the season in favor of Jarrett Stidham.

Russell Wilson discusses Broncos future after benching

Denver owes Wilson $39 million in guarantees for 2024 as part of the five-year, $242.6 million contract he signed in 2022. However, holding onto him would mean vesting $37 million for 2025. Basically, if Wilson can’t pass a physical by early March, Denver owes him the $37 million for 2025 no matter what, meaning there is a lot of incentive to keep Wilson healthy. If Denver cuts Wilson after the season, they will face dead money charges of $85 million over the next two seasons combined.

Wilson called the discussions to bench him a “low blow.”

“We got to 3-5, beat the Chiefs … [it] definitely hurt, a low blow,” Wilson said. “Those are good teams, we did it, we fought. It was challenging [to keep playing]. It’s challenging. At the same time, I’ve got a job to do … At the end of the day, you put your head down and stay focused.”

Wilson, 35, has thrown for 3,070 yards, 26 touchdowns and eight interceptions on 66.4% passing. He is also the NFL’s seventh rated passer (98.0).

Sean Payton on decision to bench Russell Wilson

Head coach Sean Payton said after Friday’s practice that the decision to bench Wilson was about “winning.”

“I’m not privy to any of those [discussions], I’m handling the football,” Payton said. “That’s something with George [Paton] and the front office, I’m not involved in any of that, certainly I’m involved in a lot and there will be a time and place at the end of the season that maybe some of the questions that you may have someone else will be able to answer.”

“… This decision is strictly what I believe gives us a chance to win No. 8. Hard decision … there will be no other reasons.”

While the benching appears to close the door on Wilson returning in 2024, he is still holding out hope in making things work in Denver.

“I hope that it’s here, I hope that it’s here for a long time,” Wilson said of his future. “I hope we win some more silverware in the front hall and we get some more championships. And if it’s not here, I’ll be prepared to do that somewhere else. But I hope that it’s here. Genuinely mean that, I brought my family here and everything else.”